Trigger-locking device for automatic tools.



F. l. MALIHA.

TRIGGER LOCKING DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIC TOOLS. APPLICATION FILED APII. I9. I9I6.

1.,%05,237 Patente@ Nw.

FRANK J'. MALII-IA, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.

TRIGGER-LOCKING DEVICE FOR AUTOIVIATIC TOOLS.

Application filed April 19, 1916.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANK J. MALIHA, a citizen of the United States7 residing at Wilmington, in the county of New Castle and State of Delaware, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trigger-Locking Devices for Automatic Tools, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of an improved device for preventing the accidental operation of automatic tools such for example as pneumatic riveting hammers where the tool point is loose within the hammer casing and is actuated by air pressure when a trigger is moved.

Persons have often been injured by flying tool points which have been ejected from the hammer casing by an accidental movement of the actuating trigger, and it is one of the objects of my invention to effectively prevent such an accidental movement of triggers on tools of the above described character.

Another object of my invention is to produce a device which may be quickly secured v to the handles of pneumatic tools now on the market.

A further object is to so construct said device that it will be durable and can be manufactured at a small cost.

A still further object is to construct my invention that it may be easily operated to move it into an active or inactive position so as to either lock the trigger or permit the trigger to be operated.

These objects and other advantageous ends which will be described hereinafter, I secure in the following manner reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a portion of a pneumatic hammer having my invention thereon. Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line a-a, Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a handle of an automatic hammer and 2 is the actuating trigger thereof which is pivoted to the handle by a pivot pin 8. The handle 1 and the trigger 2 may be of any well known construction, and said trigger operates mechanism within the handle, and since this mechanism maybe of any well known type and operative to control the operating means within the handle, the same is not shown in the drawing, it being suffi- Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented N ov. 2i, 1916.

serial No. 92,267.

cient to state that a downward movement of the trigger 1 causes the operation of the mechanism within the hammer.

Since the general contour of the handle 1 is rounded as shown in the several views of drawing, 1 provide a block 4L which forms a pivot support for a locking lever 5, there being a pivot pin 6 extending through said locking lever and secured within the block t, so that the lever is free to move around said pivot pin. The block 4L is of such height that the bottom of the lever 5 is substantially in a. plane with the top of the handle 1. The trigger 2 operates within a slot 7 in the handle, and the handle is notched at 8 to receive the locking lever 5 when it is turned into position shown in the full line positions in the several views of drawing. The locking lever 5, by being so constructed, will fit directly under the trigger 2, and preferably in engagement therewith, so that practically no movement of said trigger is permitted when the said lever 5 is there under.

lThe free end of the lever 5 is provided with an upwardly extending projection 9 of such length that it facilitates the movement of the lever 5 out of the notch 8 by the operator. As a means for automatically moving the lever 5 after it has been'released from the notch, I provide a coiled tension spring 10. One end of this coiled spring is attached to a lug 11 adjacent the end 9 of lever 5, the other end of said spring being secured by a screw 12 to the outer face 13 of the block 4. The arrangement of the parts is such that when the lever 5 is in its locking position under the trigger .2, the coiled spring 10 will be stretched across the face 13 of the block 4t around the corner 14 of the latter, then in front of the face 15 of said block, and thereafter following the curved contour of the handle and extending across the slot 7, thereby causing the said spring to be stretched in a curved form which facilitates the action of said spring in moving the lever 5 quickly and positively into the position shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 1, since the normal position of said spring is straight as shown in said dot and dash position shown in Fig. 1. Furthermore by this arrangement of the spring there is absolutely no chance for the lever 5 to swing backwardly after it has once started its movement toward the dot and dash position as previously stated.

The operation of my invention is as follows: Considering that the lever 5 is inits position under the trigger 2 and within the notch 8, in order to sta-rt the operation of the hammer, the operator merely presses the end 9 with suiiicient force to move the lever out of its notch, said notch being suiiiciently shallow to allow this movement. After the lever 5 has been so moved, the spring l() which is under tension will automatically move the lever 5 on the pivot 6 into the position shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. l. The trigger is then free to be moved downwardly by the ope 'ator to start the action of the hammer. To lock the trigger, the lever 5 is manually turned under the trigger until it again is moved int-o the notch.

lh'ile I have shown and described my invention in connection with an automatic hammer, it will be understood that it may be used with equal advantage any place where a movable trigger extends from a handle or the like, and where it is desired to prevent the accidental movement of said trigger.

While I have described my invention as taking one particular form, it will be understood thatthe various parts of my invention may be changed without departing from the spirit thereof, and hence I do not limit myselrl to the precise construction set forth, but consider that I am at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. The combination of a handle, a trigger movably mounted on said'handle, a lever on said handle and movable between it and the trigger, means for holding said lever in said latter position, and automatic means for moving said lever from its position between said. trigger and handle after it has been manually released from said holding means, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a handle and a block projecting therefrom, said block having lever-holding means thereon, a trigger movably mounted on said handle, a lever movably mounted on 'said block and movable between the handle and the trigger and into locking engagement with said holding means, and a coiled spring bendable under tension around said block and secured to said lever, said spring being operative when said lever is released from said holding means to automatically move said lever from its position between said trigger and the handle, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a handle, a trigger movably mounted on said handle, a lever pivoted on said handle and movable between it and the trigger, said handle being notched transversely to said trigger to receive-the lever after said movement to prevent the accidental movement of said trigger, substantially as described.

Il. The combination of a handle, a trigger movable in said handle, a lever pivoted: on said handle and movable between it and the trigger, said handle being notched to receive the lever after said movement, and automatic means -for moving said lever from its position between the handle and trigger after the lever has been manually moved from the notch, substantially as described.

5. rllhe combination of av handle, a block projecting therefrom, a trigger movably mounted on said handle, a lever on said-handle and movable between it and said trigger, means for retaining said lever between the trigger and the handle, and a spring secured to the lever and designed to be bent around the block, said spring being operative to automatically move said lever from its position between the handle and the trigger after said lever has been manually released from the retaining means, substantially as described.

6. The combination of a handle having a slot therein, and a notch extending transversely to said slot, a trigger on said handle and movable within said slot, said trigger normally having a portion projecting beyond said handle, a lever pivoted to the handle and movable under said triggerv and across said slot into said notch to lock said trigger against accidental movement, substantially as described. y

7. The combination of a handle having a slot therein, a trigger pivoted to said handle and movable within said slot, said trigger normally having a portion projecting beyond said-handle, a lever pivotedto the handle and movable under said trigger and across said slot', said handle having a notch into which said lever extends when under said trigger to lock said trigger against accidental movement, substantially as described.

S. The combination of a handle having a slot therein, a trigger pivoted to said handle and movable within said slot, said trigger normally having a portion projecting beyond said handle, a leverpivoted to the handle and movable under said trigger and across said slot, and a coiled spring secured to said lever and to the handle for automatically moving said lever from under said trigger, substantially as described.

9. The combination of a notchedl handle having a slot therein and a bloclrthereon, a trigger pivoted to the handle and' movable within said slot, said trigger normally having a portion extending out' of said slot, a lever pivoted to said block and movable under said trigger andfacross said slot into the notch in the handle, and aV coiled spring having one end' attachedi to said lever and the other end attached to said block, said In testimony whereof I have signed my spring being under tension and turned name to this specification in the presence of 1o around a borner of said llglock when the lever two subscribing Witnesses.

is in sai position, sai spring serving to T automatically move said lever from its said FRABK J MALIHA' position into a position normally free of said Witnesses: trigger when the lever is moved out of said RHODA E. GILLIES, notch, substantially as described. CHAs. E. PoTTs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

